


Weight of Living

by LFMH021



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andreil Fluff at the end, Family Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, M/M, Neil and Stuart having a normal (?) conversation and interaction, Neil and Stuart meeting outside of a life/death situation, Neil's past selves, Protective Andrew, Protective Stuart Hatford
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 03:53:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18086912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFMH021/pseuds/LFMH021
Summary: Neil has never trusted blood-related family. Perhaps Stuart will be the exception.Stuart visits Neil, asking about his past selves Stuart needs to burn traces of out of Ichirou's orders, ignoring Andrew's obvious disapproval. Andrew's lot find out more than they bargained for. Stuart then takes the chance,  asking for the trust from the nephew he has never truly met.Andrew will never like Stuart but he knows that if he was to burn the world for Neil, Stuart would be there with the gasoline.





	Weight of Living

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, have I told you how much I want to see Stuart and Neil reconciliation? I feel like Stuart has more good personality traits than his sister. I have had this headcanon that if he found out about the life Neil has when on the run, he would grow protective over his troublemaker nephew. 
> 
> Despite his few appearances, I actually like Stuart Hatford and hope to find out more about him. 
> 
> However, I also wondered on how Neil acted when it came to his former personas? I have this headcanon that he acts as if he has multiple personalities he transforms into depending on who needs to come out. 
> 
> Anyways, those two combined birthed this ficlet which is just out of self indulgence. 
> 
> To whoever would read this, hope you'll enjoy it! Leave a kudos and comments, they'll truly be appreciated!

Andrew doesn’t hide his displeasure as the papers are scattered on their suite’s coffee table in the living area. He watches as one of the papers fly a little farther away than intended. He definitely doesn’t glare at the documents and hope they burn with his stare.

He despises the photos plastered on each front page. It doesn’t help that the names written right beside the photos all differentiate despite the fact that it’s the same person under different persona.

The said person is seated in the middle of the pile. He goes with his natural hair and eye color. He settles with clothes that are more fashionable that he had on the photos. He also has foregone the perpetual dead stare his personas all had.

Stuart Hatford is seated on the couch right across his nephew, jaw clenching as he watches Neil arrange the documents according to the sequence that he has used them. Stuart arrived about an hour or so ago, no notice. Neil almost had a panic attack, imagining the worst with his Uncle’s appearance.

The upperclassmen thankfully settled down and decided to not meddle, staying in their own respective suites. Therefore, only Andrew’ lot sat inside the suite, scattered around the room. Kevin sits on a bean chair, hands fidgeting. Aaron has his phone out while seated on the other chair beside Kevin, he seems to be as curious as the others since his fingers hasn’t moved for the last twelve minutes. Nicky is on the kitchen, cooking while blatantly eavesdropping. Andrew sits on the couch behind Neil, right across Stuart.

Stuart had come to do Ichirou’s deed of getting rid of any trail Neil left. Therefore, Stuart wanted Neil to gather everything and every detail to clean evidences of his past lives.

Twenty two piles. Twenty two identities. Twenty two lies.

Silence reigns over the room as Neil finishes with tapping the last set onto the ground and settling it beside his Neil Josten documents. “That’s all.”

Stuart opens and then closes his mouth. He settles with sighing with a hand massaging his temple. He looks like he a second away from having aneurysm. Andrew wishes for it. The man dares to interrupt their peace with instructions that clearly doesn’t sit well and easily with Neil.

“ _That’s all,”_ The old man repeats in his thick British accent, mocking and condescending. “Natha—“

“—Neil,” Neil interrupts, voice hard and firm. “Stuart, you definitely has seen the evidence. I changed my name to Neil Josten months ago. Never call me my father’s name again.”

Stuart and Neil have a stare down for a whole minute. The former accepts defeat by repeating and correcting, “ _Neil_ , there are twenty two sets in front of us. Why?”

Neil looks down at the photo in the middle pile then snaps, “Trust me, these many weren’t even enough to run away from my father and his goons. If not for the time it would have taken us, we would have changed names every other month.”

Stuart glares at his nephew and yanks the first document, scanning through its content. “I’m surprised with how legitimate they all look. I know Mary’s intelligent but I never knew how well informed she is.”

Andrew distracts himself from gutting the man by squinting at the names written on top of each set. He notes that for countries like Germany, Neil also had a German name. Andrew knows German but he admits he doesn’t know how to pronounce Neil’s name back then. It was probably chosen so that no one could easily remember it.

The old man picks up another pile and goes through each document. “Stefan Fulmer. Age?”

Neil’s answer is immediate which startles them all, “Thirteen and seven months.”

Stuart raises his gaze at his nephew, expression indecipherable. “Origin?”

Neil tenses but responds with a firm, “Crema, Italy.”

The hair on his arms rise when Neil retorted with an Italian accent which would have been obviously faked if done by others but he sounds so authentically Italian, Andrew is confused for a second on where Neil really came from.

“What is the name of your mother, when is her birthday and what is her age?”

“Julia Fulmer. Born March 11, 19XX. She is 33 years old.”

There is a cold smile on Stuart as he nods along. He looks down on the document and then levels Neil with a heavy stare. “Give me the reason why you dropped out of your previous school and moved here.”

Andrew scoots and slouches to have a better view of Neil and the expression on the striker’s face. There is a neutral look on the auburn head’s face. He looks like he is legitimately being asked by an officer of the immigration. He appears to be somewhere that isn’t definitely Palmetto. It disturbs Andrew, to see Neil look so faraway.

“My father and mother have separated after cases after cases of domestic abuse. My mother was then offered by my Aunt to live with her since she doesn’t spouse or children.”

He almost shoves Stuart down the stairs when he hasn’t stopped his interrogation. Instead, he seems to be enjoying riling his nephew up. “How many cases of domestic abuse would that be?”

“Seven,” Neil responds, not giving any detail away unless prompted. His Italian accent never withering or losing its authenticity.

Andrew seethes when Stuart raises his gaze to stare right at him. He does his best to send his anger and hatred towards the old man with his expression alone. “Can you tell me about Blaise Watson?”

Neil blinks and takes few seconds before nodding. “He’s the fifth persona I took on. I was illegally 16 when in fact I just turned fourteen then. He had gray eyes and deep brown hair. He was born July 5th, 19xx. He was originally from a small suburb in London. He had one arm on a cast for almost three months, saying he fell while playing when in fact, he was fractured his arm and had three stab wounds.”

“Which part of Switzerland did you get these documents done?” Stuart whispers, voice tight. “I have people all over this country, looking for that neutral who does fake documents. We wanted to spread over this country but having no contact makes it difficult.”

Neil nods and takes the paper from Stuart. He flips it and draws a map. He instantaneously writes down the name of the streets in the area, circling areas where the neutral usually settled on. Stuart listens attentively as Neil gives hints on how to decipher they got the right person.

Andrew is growing tenser by every minute. Neil has told him the stories of when they were on the run. He knows details some of the Foxes don’t. He always had this belief that Mary Hatford mostly shouldered the responsibility of running for their documents, only engraining Neil’s new persona with details he mustn’t forget.

He never thought that Neil knew more than he shows. This was who Neil was before he became the Palmetto State Foxes’ Number 10 striker. This was who Neil was when he jumping from one city to another.

He easily mimics accents whenever he pleases as long as he’s heard it enough before. He knows languages and the locals’ culture from observing from afar.

Andrew sweeps his eyes around the room and figures that it isn’t just him perplexed with this version of Neil Josten they are witnessing. They had gotten used with a jittery and jumpy rabbit who frequently looked for exits. They had seen Neil cornered with his deepest fears. They had seen haunted eyes who had seen the worst of the worst.

They have never witnessed _this._ The person who moulded Neil: analytical, detailed and attentive. He was on high alert, taking and spitting details in a whim as if he has a memory card inside his brain – opened for his viewing alone.

Kevin is frowning at his fellow striker, paling. Nicky has forgotten all about the ingredients he is cutting, hand over his mouth as he gapes at Neil. Aaron looks like he isn’t certain what expression he wants to show: confused, amazed or disgusted.

Yet Neil and Stuart continues on. Neil comes from a crime family, he knows the in’s and out’s of this industry. He also holds important information he alone only knows from his mother and his’ expeditions. Stuart Hatford is Ichirou Moriyama’s right hand and if this family wants to spread, the information Neil holds could certainly help.

Stuart takes out his phone and looks into the Maps. “Neil, that area is a dead end. I have been there. I don’t remember any passageway.”

Neil shakes his head, grabs Stuart’s phone and points at something on the screen. “That is a door. Remember the store I told you about earlier? That is a disguise. The floor is carpeted because of the door and ladder that goes down there. It’s basically a murder chamber. It reeked of death when Mom and I visited to pick up our documents. We vowed silence before to be granted safe access in the area. I am not bound by any oath now.”

Stuart gazes at his nephew for few seconds before letting out a small, amused smile. “You do realize our family could tell that you’re the mole.” It is a challenge that doesn’t sit well with Andrew.

He reaches for his armband but Neil easily retaliates with a confident, “I have more information about the family, Stuart. I could hand over information that could take you down. I could start a war and stand as one of the neutrals.” He writes down something and smirks at his Uncle. “I have been cornered before. I know how to get out.”

The other’s eyebrow twitches, evidently triggered. “Challenge me.”

Neil blinks and then looks from Nicky, Kevin and then Aaron. He smiles at Andrew and then says in Russian, “Ichirou’s first born son has just been born and is guarded in Kyoto. He will be flown in next month.”

Stuart bristles and grabs onto Neil. He just looks at the knife his nephew points at him. “Neil.”

Neil levels his Uncle with a dead look. “Give me the pen, I’ll write it down so no one else will know.”

Stuart moves as if observed by an eagle and hands over his pen. Neil dutifully writes down what he just said to Andrew on a piece of paper. After reading it silently, the old man gapes at Neil. “How did you—“

Neil shrugs nonchalantly, ignoring the curious looks he is receiving from Kevin, Aaron and Nicky. “I connected the dots. I met with Ichirou again few weeks ago. Then you’ve told me some vague details. There’s also Jackson who spat things at my face which are apparently not nonsense.”

Stuart breathes a heavy sigh and then glances at Andrew. “You speak Russian now?”

 _“Da,”_ Neil cheekily replies.

“Can he just go? We have to eat lunch sometime today, maybe?” Andrew growls, standing from the couch to stretch his legs. He ignores the way Neil stares at him when he stretches his arms over his head.

Neil blinks and smiles slightly, his normal accent back which has always made Andrew curious because it doesn’t sound like it came anywhere around USA. Apparently, it is the combination of all the languages and accents ingrained in his being. It is strangely unique just like its owner. “Do you want to visit the new pizza place just ten minutes away?” He asks, as if they haven’t been talking about life and death just few minutes ago.

Stuart glances from his nephew to Andrew, scoffs, crosses his arms over his chest and scowls at his Neil. “Fine, I’ll drop it. I won’t tell anything about everything you’ve just told me. Ichirou would also not hear anything about the information you’ve accumulated about him.” Neil is about to open his mouth when Stuart raises a finger. “In one condition.”

Everyone tenses at that. Stuart is still an unpredictable man in their eyes, uncertain of his actions, uncertain of how his mind works.

“Keep in touch.”

Neil frowns at his uncle. “What?”

Hatford sighs. “You’re a murder target, who the fuck knows how I would even keep you safe half the world away, but Mary would murder me in my sleep if I just let you go like that. You’re my only nephew. Heaven knows the least I could do is give you my all.”

The two Hatford’s stare at each other, the documents between them forgotten. Andrew believes that this is probably the first time these two have met eye to eye, without one of them in verge of death.

Neil fidgets with his fingers. “How?”

“I have a burner email account – under a false name and VPN. Send me updates. I don’t care what, when or where. I’ve missed eighteen years of your life, I’m not here to replace Mary, neither am I here out of guilt of my absence for most of your life. This is me as your Uncle who genuinely is interested on being more than Ichirou’s right hand man in your eyes.”

Andrew watches emotions pass through that pair of icy blue eyes. Family doesn’t necessarily mean blood. Neil acknowledges that too, which is perhaps why he hesitates on accepting his blood related Uncle that easily.

The striker glances quickly at Andrew, looks at his personas then back at his Uncle. “I’m not an interesting nephew.”

Stuart rolls his eyes. “Fuck off. I am updated through your press conferences and you’re the mouthiest piece of shit I have ever seen. I never get tired of hearing you roast Edgar Allan on live television. I use it as background noise sometimes.”

Nicky and Aaron snort at that.

That, at least, releases some of the tenseness on Neil’s shoulders. He smirks at his Uncle before standing up. “Well then, prepare to be flooded with my ranting at how much of a dick Kevin can be, how annoying Aaron is and how I’m failing at my other classes.”

Stuart guffaws, gathering the documents into one neat pile and inserting them inside a wide envelope. He secures the documents inside a black, normal looking, suitcase. He, too, stands up and pats his pants. He then places a paper on top the coffee table. “My contact number and email address. Memorize them then burn the paper.”

Neil picks it up with a solemn nod.

Stuart goes around the table and stands few inches away from his nephew. Being quite short must run in their genes because Stuart is just about two inches taller than Neil. His powerful aura just makes him seem taller.

Expectantly, Neil reels at the way his Uncle could tower over him. Neil has always been wary of older men due to his father’s past abuse.

Stuart slouches a little to make himself smaller, just to get into his nephew’s level. “Gosh darn, you truly are a Hatford, look at that fierce expression and sharp jawline. C’mere, you bloody brat, I wouldn’t see you for god knows how long, give me a hug.”

Neil reluctantly accepts the one arm hug he is fiercely sucked into. With the silence that settles around the room, everyone hears it when Staurt whispers, “Neil Josten. I don’t honestly know what your mother might think of the decisions you’ve chosen but I am not my sister. You’ve chosen to live the life you’ve dreamt of, and I am grateful that you haven’t become like us.” He pulls away and keeps his hands on his nephew’s shoulders.

Andrew continues on silently watching, waiting for any sign that he needs to step in.

Neil stares at his Uncle, in awe. He seems to be genuinely surprised with the words he received.

“You’ve chosen your own legacy. I am a proud uncle.” Stuart finishes, gently ruffling Neil’s hair. “Thanks for the hospitality. ‘Til next time.”

With that, Hatford picks up his belongings and walks towards the door. He halts beside Andrew and gives him a cold look.

He and Stuart will never truly get along, stubbornness running in their veins. Flame against another flame. However, they exist for one reason: Neil.

Stuart nods curtly at him. He gives one of his own.

 

Once the storm has passed, Nicky not-subtly makes Kevin ask the other if they wanted to come along for pizza while he and Aaron head towards their room to change clothes, leaving Neil and Andrew alone.

Andrew walks towards the striker and peeks at his expression.

“Can you lend me your chest?” Neil whispers, fingers clutching onto the hem of the goalkeeper’s shirt.

Andrew is not a gentle person by nature. However, there are lines he is willing to cross once in a while for a certain red-head. “Yes,” He says and lets Neil drop his head onto Andrew’s chest. “You can touch me waist up,” He adds, clenching one of his hands on Neil’s nape, the other on Neil’s tangled hair.

Neil nods and enthusiastically keeps Andrew close. Through his clothing, the blond could feel the wide smile on the other’s face. Happiness and family have always been foreign concepts to Neil, it is no surprise he is uncertain how to properly react.

After few minutes, Neil pulls away a little to stare at Andrew, cheeks rosy and a small smile on his face. His eyes shine with three words he doesn’t need to say.

Andrew replies by pulling the other down slowly, waiting for a no, until their lips touch. He doesn’t know when the words could ever be uttered aloud but for now, he settles on saying them back through a bruising kiss on the boy he never thought he’d ever have who has given him what he never thought he deserved.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that one! I'll probs write more with Stuart in it since we basically don't have enough to truly fathom how he acts, so perhaps I could free-wheel how I write him right?
> 
> Anyhow, KUDOS AND COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED! Tell me what you liked most. Give me a feedback on what you want to read next and I'll try my best to grant your wish! 
> 
> Love lots! 'Til next read!


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